Uniforms must for SSLC exams: Karnataka govt amid hijab row

In the case of private (aided and unaided) schools, the students should wear the uniform prescribed by the respective school management, circular added.

The Karnataka government has issued a circular making uniforms mandatory for students appearing for Class X board (SSLC) examinations, beginning March 26.

The circular, issued by the state’s primary and secondary education department on Friday, stated that students of government schools should appear for the examinations with the uniform prescribed by the state government (Agencies)

The circular, issued by the state’s primary and secondary education department on Friday, stated that students of government schools should appear for the examinations with the uniform prescribed by the state government. In the case of private (aided and unaided) schools, the students should wear the uniform prescribed by the respective school management, it added.

The circular, signed by under-secretary of the department V Srinivasamurthy, cited the state government’s order on uniforms issued on February 5, adding that the Karnataka high court’s verdict ratified the government’s direction.

The circular has been issued following confusion over the wearing of the hijab inside classrooms. According to education department officials, several teachers had questioned whether hijab will be allowed inside examination halls for students from private schools.

On February 5, the Karnataka government had banned clothing that disturbed equality, integrity, and public order in schools and colleges, after a massive hijab controversy broke out in a pre-university (PU) college where few students wearing headscarves were banned from entering the class. This escalated into huge protests across the state.

During the hearing of a petition against this order, the Karnataka government had told the high court that students should wear uniforms prescribed by the respective college development committees.

“The circular is only making it clear that all the government schools in the state must adhere to the school uniform prescribed by the government, which doesn’t allow hijabs. If any school allows hijabs, then students will be allowed to wear them inside the examination halls. The due process of verifying these rules will be left to officials at each examination hall,” said a senior Karnataka education department official, who did not wish to be named.

The SSLC (Class 10) examination will begin on Monday. This year, 873,846 candidates from 15,387 schools across Karnataka are appearing for the examination. As per the Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board (KSEEB) data, four transgender candidates have registered for the SSLC exams besides 452,732 male and 421,110 female.